The Emmy winning Nurse Jackie star opens up to Anderson Cooper about how her own addiction helped her portray her character’s struggle with drug abuse, but says it doesn’t hit too close to home anymore, and RadarOnline.com has a clip of her candid interview.

“It would be not far enough from the actual experience but I think it has really helped me because I certainly have known a lot of addicts, I’ve known a lot of people in the lives of addicts who are often saying, ‘He had so much going for him why would he do this?’

“And I get it, I know exactly why he’s doing it because you’re addicted and it’s completely irrational behavior and you lie and you cheat and you do whatever you need to do to get what you need.